December 15th 2018 College Bowl Predictions – Las Vegas Bowl Picks and More

The Fresno State Bulldogs take on the Arizona State Sun Devils meet for the first time since 1941 in the 27th edition of the Las Vegas Bowl at the Sam Boyd Stadium on December 15, 2018.

Arizona State  finished with a record of 7-5 for the second straight season, making it eligible for a bowl-game once again. The Sun Devils finished the season strong, going 4-1 in their last five games. Sophomore running back Eno Benjamin finished third in the nation with 1,524 rushing yards on the season and scored a total of 15 touchdowns which was good for 8th in FBS. Senior quarterback Manny Wilkins posted his highest quarterback rating a ever this season, thew a career low four interceptions and posted a career high in yards per pass attempt. However, the Sun Devils will be without star receiver N’Keal Harry who has decided to skip this game after signing with an agent to apply for the next NFL Draft. The junior receiver caught 73 passes for a total of 1,088 yards with 9 receiving touchdowns to lead his team in all categories.

Fresno State finished their campaign with an 11-2 record and won its first MWC title since 2013 by defeating Boise State 19-16. Starting quarterback Marcus McMaryion passed for a total of 3,451 yards with 25 scores and just three pickoffs while completing 69.8% of his passes. The senior from California also rushed for 253 yards while scoring another seven touchdowns on the ground. However, it was the Bulldogs’ defense which stood out the entire season as the team ranked second in the nation in points allowed at 13.7 per game. Their defense was also tied for fifth in interceptions forced at 17 on the season. The defense is led by linebacker Jeff Allison who finished 19th in the nation with 120 combined tackles.

I like Fresno State here because the Bulldogs finished with a record of 11-2 and were 9-4 ATS on the season. The Sun Devils will be without their top receive in Harry, making it more difficult for their passing game to score points, especially against the 2nd best scoring defense in the nation. On the other hand, McMaryion will pick apart Arizona State’s secondary which hasn’t been elite all-season long.

Here are our picks for the other Bowl games for December 15th:

This one was tough to pick because these teams have never played before and have no common opponents to compare. But Utah State is the 3rd best scoring team in the nation and were 9-3 ATS this season. Meanwhile, North Texas closed the season at 0-5 ATS in their last five games. When you take a look at both their schedules, Utah State also had the more tougher one so that for me only make me lean more toward the Aggies.

For sure the winner of this game are the Eagles because both schools are named Eagles. But seriously,  by looking at their records, this one is an easy pick to make. Eastern Michigan is 7-5 while Georgia Southern is 9-3. Eastern Michigan’s offense has been very inconsistent because of its red zone and third down troubles. On the other hand, Georgia Southern’s offense ranked in the Top 50 in the nation and was for sure more consistent. With its triple option offense, the Eagles of Georgia Southern are going to control possession and keep the ball out of Eastern Michigan’s hands. Georgia Southern in 9-3 ATS this season.

Appalachian State won three consecutive bowl games under Scott Satterfield but he made the move to Louisville last week and won’t be coaching this game. Interim coach Mark Ivey is 0-0 in bowl games and this could have an effect in the outcome of this bowl game. But Ivey has inherited an experienced team who knows what it takes to win bowl games. The Mountaineers have a top rated defense and a potent running game which will grind out a win for them here.